Parents
by 11GoldenStar11
Summary: "It's today. Today the pain is the hardest to deal with. Today I'm back in that circus tent, watching them leave me all over again." It's the anniversary of the Grayson's death and their little boy isn't taking it too well. The Titan's have noticed his distant behavior but have no idea what's got him so down all of a sudden. Originally Oneshot, may become chapters later on!


Hello my lovelies! I completely forgot I wrote this a while back and I thought I might as well post it! It was originally a oneshot but it can have a few more chapters if there is enough interest. It's not something that I will do on my own however considering how busy I am. Just let me know and we'll see what happens.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans

Enjoy!

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The morning light shown through the window, basking the dark room in bright warm light. A young teenage boy slumbered in his bed, black hair sticking in odd directions. Unaware, was he, that the morning had begun to beckon to him; that as his eyes slowly blinked awake his heart would clench as he remembered. Unaware that today was going to be one of the most difficult days he endured year after year.

Robin blinked his eyes, annoyed with the bright sunlight streaming in from his window. He rolled over, glancing up at the clock on his bedside table. The time read 7:36 in the morning, below displayed the date. Robin felt his eyes begin to tear when he realized what day it was. He curled in on himself, pulling his knees towards his chest and tucked his head into his arms. He wanted to forget. He wanted to go back to sleep and wake up tomorrow. He didn't want to relive the pain.

Laying there in his bed, he felt his heart beating heavily. His breathing quickly became ragged from the sobs wracking his frame. He didn't stop the tears flowing down his cheeks, soaking the blanket. He felt small, laying in an enormous bed that could swallow him up at any moment.

He was brought out of his reverie by the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway. He silenced his sobs and listened. The footsteps got louder, coming toward his door. He really didn't want to talk to anyone right now. He sighed, relieved, when the footsteps passed his door and continued down the hall. He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. It was that time of year when he couldn't do much else except feel gloomy all day long.

Slowly, he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His feet dangled over the floor, hovering there without touching it. Gently, as if he didn't want to wake anyone, his feet touched the floor and he stood. Robin stood, unmoving for a few seconds. He wasn't really sure what he wanted to do right now. He definitely wasn't hungry and he didn't feel like talking.

Sighing he turned towards his closet. Sliding the glass door open, he knelt down, pushing his uniforms aside. In the back of the closet, hidden in the wall, the outline of a compartment was revealed. He reached out and pressed the bottom left corner to open it.

The door hissed as the pressure lock released the seal. It popped open slightly, revealing a dark compartment. He pulled the door open, shining light inside. A couple of shoe boxes, a colorful leotard, a trapeze bar, and some old clothes sat inside, covered in dust. Robin stared at the contents for a moment, then reached out and grabbed a black box with dust on the lid. Its sides were slightly crinkled and the cardboard was worn from many years use. He sat down on the floor beside his closet, crossing his legs underneath each other and set the box on his lap.

Shaking hands pulled the lid from the container and set it on the floor. Robin then turned his attention to the contents inside; photographs, a folded poster, a few cards, and a newspaper article. He grabbed the stack of photos, holding them up in the light. The first one depicted a tall, fit man and a young boy. They seemed to be playing a game of tag. The man had his arms out stretched towards the boy, while the kid ran away, laughing excitedly. Robin felt a sad smile tug at the corner of his mouth. Those were the good days, before everything fell apart. He set that picture down, looking at the next. It was a picture of himself and his parents, dressed in matching colorful leotards. He stood between his parents, all of them wearing bright smiles. He remembered posing for that picture. It was a week before the accident, a week before his life took a dark turn. Setting the rest of the photos back in the box, he held onto the family photo. He felt his throat constrict and fresh tears ran down his cheeks. He felt his shoulders shake, while he sat on the cold floor, in the dim light, sobbing alone.

His heart felt like it was being ripped out all over again. He didn't know what to do. He wanted comfort; a hug, a hair ruffle, a kiss on the forehead. He wanted his parents. He missed their arms around him, their warmth, their love. All he wanted right now was to feel their secure arms surround him. Leaning back against the closet door, Robin sighed deeply.

A knock sounded on his door, startling him. "Robin? Cyborg is making the Breakfast Bonanza and we wish for you to join us." Starfire. His rock. His light. He looked over at the door and cleared his throat, "Uh, ya. I'll be there in a few minutes," he said, trying to sound as normal as he could. Starfire seemed to accept his statement because she replied with a simple 'ok' and he heard her footsteps retreat down the hallway.

He sighed to himself, turning back to the box in front of him. He placed the photo back in the box and replaced the lid. Careful not to knock anything over, he slid the box back into place and pushed the door shut.

Robin, slowly pushed himself off the floor. He walked over to the bedside table, picking up the black and white mask. He turned, staring at his reflection in the closet door. A teenage boy who'd seen way too much in his short life stared back at him. Ruffled black locks fell into his eyes and he pushed them aside. The mask in his hands was the artifact that reminded him of his double life. He brought it up to his face, examining it. It held his secret identity without fail and had provided him an escape from the pain for years. His blue eyes stared down the reflection, while his hands moved out of habit, bringing the mask up to his face. He felt the cool material press against his skin as his fingers followed the outer edge, sealing the material to his skin.

Now in the mirror, he faced a new reflection. This wasn't the innocent teenage boy that stood there a minute ago. This was Robin, Boy Wonder. Hero of the people, master detective, unrelenting crusader of the common good. He willed his thoughts to dissipate and allow him to put on his facade for his friends sake. He couldn't let them see their leader as such an emotional mess. Batman had instill in him that he was to always be in check while he was Robin. Never let your emotions tangle with the job.

Giving himself a once over, he left his room, headed for the bathroom. He walked into the bathroom, opened the cabinet and grabbed his hair gel. Once his hair was spiked up like normal and he deemed himself presentable, he left the bathroom, heading down the hallway.

As he approached the doors, Robin could hear his teammates yelling and laughing inside. He came to the doors, watching as they slide open to reveal the four other Titans. Starfire stood by the kitchen counter smiling happily as she watched Cyborg flipping pancakes, bacon, and eggs onto plates. Beast Boy stood by the table, he appeared to be setting a pitcher of orange juice on the table. Apparently he'd just told another bad joke, because Raven, who was sitting on the floor by the super computer with a book in her hand, was glaring daggers of annoyance at him. Robin walked over to the table where Beast Boy was, and sat down.  
Beast Boy looked at Robin. The Boy Wonder didn't seem to be as chipper as he usually was. He didn't say a thing to any of the Titans when he walked in and he sat down at the table, by himself, without so much as a glance at any of them. Beast Boy wasn't exactly the smartest of the group, but this behavior was blatantly obvious to him; something was super wrong with Robin.

* * *

Starfire blasted the robber's car, managing to explode a tire in the process. The entire thing swerved, flipping over and slamming into the side of a building. The Titans stopped to see if they were still conscious after that, unfortunately the bigger of the two still was. He crawled out his window, bag of money still in hand. He staggered to his feet, huffing out in pain, then glanced around at his surroundings. His eyes landed on the Titans. He glared and snarled at them, then reached into his pocket.

In an instant Robin was froze. The sight of such a deadly weapon suddenly halted his movement, holding him prisoner to his emotions and fear. The robber they were facing now pulled a gun from his pocket, aiming it right at the froze hero. His breath quickened, staring at the metal of the barrel, unable to move out of the way. He saw the man's finger moving to pull the trigger, then BANG!

He jumped involuntarily at the noise, eyes starting to water. Standing in front of him was Cyborg with his arms stretched out and one eye looking back at him with confusion. Across from them the robber was engulfed in dark energy from Raven and unconscious now. The gun lay off to the side, forgotten.

Then there were sirens approaching and cops jumping out. The two men were apprehended and dragged away into a car without so much as a 'thanks' to the Titans. The sirens grew loud once more as the cars started up and drove off, echoing off buildings until the sound disappeared into the distance.

Robin crumpled to the ground. He couldn't do this. He felt his heart start to race and it was suddenly very hard to catch his breath. The other Titans watched as their leader fell to the ground and started hyperventilating. They stared in shock at his alarming behavior. Robin was now sobbing and holding his head in his hands. The others had no idea what to do. They'd never seen their leader this emotional. Starfire flew over to Robin, kneeling beside him. She gingerly placed her hands on his, gently pulling them away from his head. Robin continued to sob, tremors rolling through him. Star scooted closer to him, carefully wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pulling him against her. Robin collapsed against her, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly, sobbing into her shoulder. Starfire wrapped her arms around his back, pulling him in tighter. She tried to offer as much comfort as she could. Her hand found his hair, gently running her hand through it. She hoped her ministrations were comforting to him.

The other three walked over to the pair. Raven looked sad, feeling his emotions in spades. Beast Boy looked worried and confused, while Cyborg was still in shock.

"I want...my daddy," said a small voice. All four Titans looked down at Robin who, sniffled against Starfire. Star looked over her shoulder at the other three, eyes pleading for help. Raven walked forward, kneeling beside the weeping boy and alien girl.  
"Where can we find him?" she asked softly. Robin mumbled something into Star's shoulder. "You're going to have to repeat that," Raven told him.  
Robin lifted his head only an inch, " Gggotham." His voice quavered as he spoke. He lowered his head back onto Star's shoulder, letting his exhausted body be supported by hers. Raven looked up at Star who looked worried.

"Let's get him back to the Tower," she said to the Titans, "Then we can find your Dad. Ok, Robin?" Robin nodded his head slightly but didn't let go of Starfire. Raven stood, beckoning the other two closer to them. Once Beast Boy and Cyborg were standing beside her, Raven used her powers to engulf them in dark energy, flying off towards Titan's Tower.

Raven stopped in the Common Room, opening her arms, the others jumped out. Starfire walked Robin around the couch and they sat down. The minute they'd taken a seat on the cushions, Robin curled himself into Star's side, hiding his face in her shoulder again. Starfire wrapped her arms around him, pulling him as close as possible. She looked over at the others with a worried expression.

Raven walked over towards the couple, leaning over the back of the couch. "How do we find your Father, Robin?" she asked softly. She really didn't want him to go into that hyperventilating state again.

Robin lifted his head enough he could speak without mumbling. "My room. A batarang on the dresser. Press the button in the center," he explained. He sounded completely depressed at this point. Raven nodded and phased through the floor, headed to Robin's room to retrieve the batarang.

Raven entered Robin's room, walking over to the dresser. She found the Batarang on a display stand. She grabbed it and pressed the center button, watching as it lit red. She set it back on the dresser, still lit up, and phased back to the Common Room.

All the Titans were at a loss. Robin was still acting weird. He refused to let go of Starfire and kept crying off and on. Starfire was more than happy to hold her dear Robin in her arms, but she was still bewildered as to why he was so inconsolable. The Tower's alert system suddenly went off, warning of a stranger outside. Cyborg walked over to the monitor and pressed a few buttons to stop the alarm. Robin merely cringed at the loud sound and bright red lights, curling into Star's side. Cyborg and Beast Boy left to go see who was at their door.

A few minutes later, Cyborg and Beast Boy walked back in, looking completely shocked. They separated to reveal none other than the Batman himself. The tall man walked into the room, looking around; face emotionless. He took in the five teenagers in the room; the green shape shifter stood to his left while the robotic teen flanked his right. Standing beside the large couch was a pale girl wearing a dark blue cloak, and sitting on the couch he could see the back of too heads. One was a girl with long red hair, the other male, with black spikes.

He watched as the red headed girl spoke to the boy leaned against her. Suddenly the boy's head shot up and turned to look over at him. Dick. He looked a mess. It clearly wasn't him that hit that button, judging by the looks on the young teen's faces.

Robin spotted him. He was here. He came for him. He jumped over the couch, causing Starfire to yelp and dive out of the way. His feet hit the ground and he sprinted to him. Without hesitation, Robin flung his arms around Batman's waist. He pressed his face into his chest, the sobs renewed.

Batman was shocked. He looked down at his ward. The boy clung to him like he was going to float away if he didn't hold tight. He glanced up at the other Titan's. All of them looked bewildered.  
He was about to tell him to stop when Dick spoke. "It's today," his voice was small and weak. Suddenly everything made sense; his behavior, the call. Today was the day of his parent's murder. He'd wanted his 'Father's' comfort. He brought his arms around the shaking boy, pulling him firmly against his chest.

Robin felt the strong arms wrap around him, securing him. He felt his throat constrict with emotion again. His heart burst with hope, love, safety. "Daddy." He couldn't stop himself from voicing his thoughts, and simply tightened his grip on his father.

Bruce was surprised at what he'd just heard. Dick had called him 'daddy'.

"Hush, now," the dark avenger spoke in gruff but soft voice. He turned his attention the rest of the team standing around them, "I'll be taking him back to Gotham with me for a few days. He'll be good as new when he returns, I assure you."

Starfire stood from the couch, a protest on her lips but stopped when Robin's head nodded against Batman's chest. Batman loosed his grip on his ward and led him out the doors, leaving the others in shocked silence.

"What just happened?" Beast Boy said into the quiet room. His question was met by a shared confusion from all of them as they continued to stare at the now closed double doors.

Their leader was broken, they couldn't fix him. But why was he broken? Why did he call the Batman his father? What was going on?

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There ya go! If you want more, I might be persuaded to continue, but it's gotta have enough interest.

Thanks for reading!

Love to you all 3


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